At the opening of the one-week-long fair, artistes from Usha Nrtiyalaya put up a glamorous performance.

District Awami League General Secretary Al Mamun Sarker said: "Pohela Boishakh is simply a tradition, there is no religious sentiment associated with it. Those who want to make this a matter of creed are fundamentalists.

"Those who bring dogma into a celebration want to divide the nation. Everybody's faith is their own, but the tradition belongs to all of us."

He called on the public to stand up against fundamentalist forces.

There are 25 stalls in the Boishakh fair, which is being held at the Dhiren Dutta Bhasha Chattar grounds in the district headquarters, organized by Brahmanbaria Literature Academy.